Unit 1 Flashcards
(31 cards)
What is nutrition?
The process of providing or obtaining the food necessary for health and growth
Is nutrition a new or old science?
New
When did human nutrition become a research interest?
When scientists began to make connections between diet and illness
What was the focus of nutrition research originally?
Deficiency diseases such as scurvy (vitamin C deficiency) and pellagra (niacin deficiency)
What are the symptoms of pellagra?
Red rough skin, butterfly like rash and eventually confusion and insanity
What did scientists theorize as the cause of pellagra?
Caused by eating corn and passed by bacteria or insects
Who was affected by pellagra?
Poor and institutionalized people (like orphanages, long term hospitals, and prisons) but curiously it didn’t affect nurses, physicians, and guards
What did Dr. Goldberger think caused pellagra?
Linked to lack of vitamins
How did Dr. Goldberger test his theory about pellagra?
Gave fruit/veggies to kids at an orphanage and they got better. Also experimented with prisoners at a farming prison by isolating them and giving them food to cause pellagra (without fruits/veggies)
What causes pellagra?
Deficiency of Niacin
What characterizes a chronic disease?
Slow progression and a long duration. i.e. heart disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes
How did nutrition research change after WWII?
Standards of living improved for most Americans and nutrition research began to focus on preventing and treating chronic diseases
What is malnutrition?
Any condition caused by excess or deficient food energy or nutrient intake or by an imbalance of nutrients, vitamins and minerals
What is undernutrition?
Having a deficiency in calories or nutrients
What is over nutrition?
Having an excess in Calories or nutrients
Can a person be both over and under nourished?
Yes
Why do we have to study nutrition?
Anyone going into the health or healthcare field needs to be familiar with the basics of nourishing the human body
What diseases in the US are nutrition related?
The majority of chronic diseases and the leading causes of death are due to nutrition related chronic diseases
What is the responsibility of dietitians and other health professionals?
To educate the public about healthy lifestyles in order to prevent chronic disease
What is a risk factor?
A condition or behavior associated with an elevated frequency of a disease but not proved to be causal
Will people with risk factors develop the disease?
No, while you can’t change your family history, ethnicity, or age, improving your lifestyle can make certain risk factors disappear
What are the leading risk factors for chronic disease?
Obesity, cigarette smoking, high BP, high blood cholesterol, physical inactivity, a diet high in processed foods and trans fats, a diet low in fruits and vegetables
What is a registered dietitian?
A healthcare professional who has earned a Bachelors of Science degree from an accredited university, has completed a post graduate internship and has passed the national registration exam for dietitians.
What is a dietitian qualified to provide to clients?
Food and nutrition counseling and education to clients and patients in an array of settings
